The Koality Times' Award Choices

Season one, at long last, has come to a close, with the Chicago Blues defeating the Portland Roses in the inaugural Hoops League Association Finals 2-0 to earn their first title. Besides this hardware though, there were plenty of other awards given out for the season, as players and fans alike voted on who deserved each award. The Koality Times, however, had its own take on the awards. Here are our picks for each of this year's awards.

Finals MVP: Tshaka Zoulou, CHI

Tshaka Zoulou: 5 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 SPG, 13 BPG

Zoulou's 5 points per game and 8 rebounds may not be eye-catching, but his performance certainly was. By collecting an absurd 26 blocks over the course of the two game series, Zoulou effectively single-handedly stifled the vaunted Portland offense. Much of his defense was played in one-on-one matchups against Jamon Alexander, arguably the league's best center and perhaps its best overall player; Zoulou greatly lowered his impact on the game, at times making him seem invisible. Anyone who watched the series knows that Zoulou was the Blues' biggest reason for victory.

Rookie of the Year: Polan Stronk, LA

Polan Stronk, LA: 19 G, 13 GS, 11.6 PPG, 1.4 APG, 57% FG, 36% 3PFG, 7.613 PER

The easiest to decide among the league's many honors, Stronk was this year's finest rookie by a wide margin. His PPG put him among the league's best scorers, and while he did not provide much outside of scoring, his ability to spark an offense and at times carry it was useful in both his stint with the Cosmos and his playoff run with the Stars. Both Daws 20 and Francisco Gerbi had fine rookie seasons, but neither played like the bona fide star that Stronk flashed signs of being.

Sixth Man/Unsung Hero of the Year: Cacio Way, MIA

Cacio Way, MIA: 27 G, 10 GS, 11.4 PPG, 52% FG, 48% 3PFG, 17.636 PER

There were multiple viable contenders for this award, but in the end, it had to go to Cacio Way. Way's scoring off the bench for the Tides was arguably the single most important element of the Tides' offense, and his consistency from the field, particularly from three-point range, was among the league's best. Eddie Dale rightfully attracted the majority of the attention on the miserly Tides, but Way was by far Miami's best offensive player, and thus deserves this award.

Defensive Player of the Year: Eddie Dale, MIA

Eddie Dale, MIA: 23 G, 21 GS, 7.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 3.7 BPG, 58.435 PER

Arguably the hardest award to decide upon, Dale's well-roundedness, plus his attractive advanced stats, set him apart from the rest. The league's single best player by PER, Dale was invaluable to Miami, and was arguably the only reason (aside from Cacio Way) that they won any games at all. Dale's rebounding was among the league's best, as were his blocks, and his 1.3 SPG at the center position led the league by a wide margin. Dale was the complete defensive player for the whole season, and his defense of the interior warped opposing offenses' gameplans.

Most Valuable Player: Tshaka Zoulou, CHI

T. Zoulou, CHI: 27 G, 23 GS, 11 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 56% FG, 52.575 PER, Team Record 20-8

The Koality Times is a believer in the idea that the best player on the best team ought to be the Most Valuable Player most of the time, and its choice is a reflection of that belief. For a large part of the season, the clear choice was Jamon Alexander, whose Portland Roses were dominant and whose gaudy numbers dwarfed other contenders for the award. However, Alexander and his Roses faltered down the stretch, leaving the Blues as the clear favorites for and eventual winners of the league's first Finals. Stars Eddie Dale and Cedric Hardwicke, while individually excellent, were unable to pull their teams out of the drudges of mediocrity, disqualifying them from the race. That left Zoulou and his teammate Walter Yensid, whose prolific scoring, while game-changing, was absent for a majority of the season. Moreover, Zoulou had a complete statline-- his 11 PPG ranked among the league's best, as did his 2.3 BPG, and his 5.9 RPG and 2.3 SPG greatly contributed to the Blues' ability to control the ball. Frequently underrated, Zoulou proved that on a team of stars, in a league of stars, he may be the brightest star of them all.

All-HLA Team Selections

First Team

Just Jaos, G, Boston Charms

Koality Game, G, Portland Roses

Samuel James, F, San Francisco Quakes

Tshaka Zoulou, F, Chicago Blues

Jamon Alexander, C, Portland Roses

Second Team

Aaron Fiedelak, G, Chicago Blues

Carl Joseph, G, New York Empire

Thomas Shoffner, F, Portland Roses

Scottie Thompson, F, New York Empire

Eddie Dale, C, Miami Tides

All-Defensive Team

Alex Sinclair, G, Houston Cosmos

Anthony Flores, G, Los Angeles Stars

Jacob French, F, Los Angeles Stars

Tshaka Zoulou, F, Chicago Blues

Eddie Dale, C, Miami Tides

All-Rookie Team

Polan Stronk, G, Los Angeles Stars

Francisco Gerbi, F, New York Empire

Daws 20, F, San Francisco Quakes

Rhys Kaneko, C, Portland Roses

Collin Randall, C, Chicago Blues

That will do it for our award choices. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share in the #offseason chat. For the Koality Times, this is Cyclops Inc.